Naima Bock has recently captivated with the singles “30 Degrees” and “Every Morning”, so it’s with some excitement that we relay the news that the Brazilian-English songwriter will be releasing her debut album Giant Palm on July 1 through Sub Pop. She’s also shared the title track, and describes its creation:
“Giant Palm was written collaboratively by myself and Joel Burton (who arranged and produced the whole album), I wrote the vocal melody and lyrics and he wrote the instrumentation. The recording process was limited (which I always find the most creatively productive way to record) by what we had in Joel’s room and recorded during the summer of 2020, resulting in mostly electronic instruments apart from the acoustic guitar. The vocals were later recorded by my dad, Victor Bock. We named the album after this song as it was the one that most reflected our collaboration as musicians and the innocence and freedom that characterised the making of the record.”
“Giant Palm” is composed mainly from different analogue synth sounds, which provide the perfect vessel for Naima’s cosmic contemplations. While she expresses tensions arising from myriad sources, she’s soon floating high above it all, the synths bubbling like a geyser and her higher register keying us in to the relief she’s feeling. The song continues to bob and whizz as the singer continues her poetically drab observations of existence. But, just as Naima’s droll worldview threatens to bog down the track, we’re once again taken aloft on angelic vocals and vintage squelches, perhaps lifted by the titular “Giant Palm”, which lifts us to the sky and away from our aches.
The intriguing video for “Giant Palm” was directed by Max McLachlan, and Naima says:
“He projected the contrast of elevation and submission that is present in the song into a physical visual format. I’ve struggled to express in writing the meaning of this song so I feel it is best to leave the listener to make of it what they will. It’s a deeply personal song which means it can be reflected in whichever way one feels they want it to be”.
Watch the video for “Giant Palm” below or find the song on streaming platforms.
Naima Bock’s debut album Giant Palm arrives on July 1 through Sub Pop / Memorials of Distinction. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
